


Of Husbands and Wives

by Servena



Series: How to Save a Life [11]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Children, Curiosity, Healers, Healing, Homosexuality, Laughter, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Minor Injuries, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Questions, Traiteur, laughing fit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-28
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-11-22 19:50:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20879741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Servena/pseuds/Servena
Summary: "Why don't you have a wife?" a little girl of about twelve years asks one afternoon while Gene examines her grazed arm.





	Of Husbands and Wives

Gene’s right: After the visit of who Babe only calls “that rude woman”, customers start to flow in, at first only neighbors from the nearby village, but by the second month, even strangers from farther away. It doesn’t pay much, but combined with what Babe makes with the odd job, they get by. But even more rewarding is seeing Gene work again. Sitting in the middle of their kitchen with his patients, surrounded by the drying herbs hanging from the ceiling and his medical bag on the table, he looks like he’s meant to be there.

He’s happier, too. He’s never been one to show his emotions freely, but Babe can tell anyway, in the way he smiles more, in the slow disappearance of the dark rings underneath his eyes. Of course, it never goes away completely, for none of them. But it’s getting better.

Of course their unusual living situation makes people talk. However, most of them are too afraid of Gene to say anything to his face. It takes Babe a while to wrap his head around, the idea that anyone could be scared of his gentle, caring Gene, but they are. The job of a traiteur carries a great amount of respect, and Gene’s own grandmother must have made quite an expression on them as well. Gene’s ability to be calm, but firm with even the most difficult patient does the rest. It’s just as well as it works in their favor. However, not all patients are as easy impressed…

"Why don't you have a wife?" a little girl of about twelve years asks one afternoon while Gene examines her grazed arm. “You’re pretty handsome, so it’s not like you can’t get one.”

Babe almost let's go of the potted plant he was going to put outside (he catches himself just in time, which is good since Gene surely wouldn't be happy if he smashed his fennel plant on the stone floor) and the girl's mother gasps out loud. "Leah, this is not something you can ask!"

The girl turns to look at her from her chair. "Why not?"

The woman just shakes her head and mumbles something, casting a rather anxious look at Gene, but Babe can see that he's smiling slightly.

"My mother says men need wives to survive”, the girl explains to him freely. “Otherwise their house would be a mess. But your house doesn’t look too messy. I like it.”

The woman looks like she might rather sink into the floor on the spot. Gene just chuckles lowly. Before he starts cleaning the wound, he says: “This might hurt a bit.”

The girl pulls a face. “They always say that and then it hurts a lot.” But she doesn’t make a single sound as he works, determined to be tough, and afterwards she’s right back to asking questions. "Aren't you lonely?”

Gene just shakes his head as he cuts the bandage.

“My Ma says men are lonely when they don’t have wives. And then they drink a lot. But you don’t look like you drink a lot." Now the girl turns to Babe who’s still standing there, but has put the plant down on the pantry for its safety. "Do you live here?"

“Yeah”, Babe says.

"So", the girl says slowly as she turns back to Gene, and Babe can almost see how she is turning that new information around in her head, "is he like your wife?"

“Leah!” her mother yells.

But Gene just says, without looking up from the bandage he’s wrapping around her arm: "I s'pose so.”

The girl tilts her head. "That's weird. But I guess you need someone to do the dishes."

"There you go, all set." He gets up while the girl examines the white bandage around her arm with detached interest. "Next time you might consider slowing down before turning the corner."

"Probably not", the girl says matter-of-factly and Babe has to bite his bottom lip forcefully to keep himself from wheezing with laughter.

The mother pays in a hurry and then pulls her daughter towards the door. As they’ve reached it, the girl turns around to ask: "So what about children? How does that work?"

"LEATH!"

"Ma, you're always saying I'm supposed to learn! How can I learn if I'm not allowed to ask any questions?"

“You’ve been a very rude girl. Just wait until your father hears about this!” As they leave, they can hear the woman scold her all the way down the street.

Babe slams the door shut behind them and gives in to the laughing fit that’s been threatening to break out of him for the last five minutes as he’s clinging to the door frame. "Kids", he manages to gasp once he can speak again. "Jesus." Then he sobers up some. "This gonna hurt your business?"

Gene starts clearing the table. "Probably not. Half the bayou probably already knows."

“They’re really afraid of you, huh? What’s that all about?”

“They think I can curse them.”

“And? Can you?”

Gene huffs. “What do you think?”

“I think I’m really lucky to be on your good side.” He grins as he returns to the abandoned fennel plant. “So I’m finally gonna put this one outside, and then I’m gonna go over to Mr. Hebert to take a look at his roof.” He stops at the back door to the garden. “Unless I should be doing the dishes first like a good wife?”

This time it’s Gene who’s laughing. It’s the best sound Babe has ever heard, and he’ll never grow tired of it.


End file.
